Half Life
by thecocaptainofthefriendship
Summary: (AU) Dan saves Phil from the men who torment him. When Phil lands in hospital, he looks to Dan for comfort. But Dan is hiding a secret - can Phil cope, loving a man desperate to keep something from him? Terrible summary, soz bbz. PHANPHANPHAN. Definite fluff will ensue.
1. Chapter 1

I stared down at the scene unfolding beneath me. A tall, charcoal-haired boy shrunk down, cowering from _them_. And I couldn't let it happen. Not to this stranger, so desperate and innocent and pure. He looked up, his eyes filled with crystal droplets, threatening to spill over and drown him at any second.

It was his eyes that decided me. Celestial blue and clear as the summer sky, light and laughter forced away by fear and terror. A terror that only increased when he spotted the strange, brunette-haired boy dangling precariously from the 19th floor of a sky tower.

And just like that, I vanished.

* * *

Something about him drew me here; this I knew for sure. His presence brought me to him, like a moth to a flickering candle flame.

Somehow, I knew that his inner fire was waning.

Somehow, I knew that I had to help.

* * *

I was thrust sideways by the blow, far more unbearable than any I had yet faced. My skull ached and throbbed, grey waves blurring my vision. _I may as well let go_, I thought, preparing to shut my eyes to the torment of life.

That was when I saw someone, a small spec in my impaired vision. My glasses had been crushed under the heavy boot of one of _them_, and he was so high up, precariously balanced. The height, however, was the problem - especially when the figure appeared to be hanging from a ledge, roughly 19 floors up; near to where I lived. I squinted, my head pounding. The shock revived me slightly - I had to help him!

_How, though? Stupid_, I thought, as my own issues overcame me, and the final blow of the day left me sprawled unconscious on the muddy cement. The last thing I saw as the peaceful fog invaded my mind were a pair of eyes, deep pools of brown that were full of concern.

* * *

I appeared next to him as he slumped onto the ground, tributaries of berry-red flowing from multiple lacerations on his pale body. One of his eyelids was bruising, clouds of menacing darkness spreading outwards. His left arm was bent at a funny angle, pushing against his shirt sleeve.

I could feel tears swamping my vision; I blinked to hold them back. I had to help him, this man with eyes as blue as the sky and hair as dark as night. I dug around for his phone to call 999 with, as I didn't have one of my own - I didn't own anything, not anymore.

Sitting with him while I waited for the ambulance, I grasped his limp fingers in mine. He was beautiful.

* * *

I awoke to bright lights, blinking heavily as they tried to blind me. Futilely, I attempted to raise my hand to sweep my dark hair from my forehead, but my arm was connected to a drip. My eyebrows furrowed slightly as I looked up, feeling the weight of my left arm. My gaze was met by that of a stranger.

Confusion flooded my mind. He smiled slightly, a small dimple raising in his cheek. It was infectious; as his brown eyes sparkled down at me, I felt the corners of my mouth tugging upwards.

"Where am I?" I queried, instantly feeling at ease with this man nearby. His smile drooped a little.  
"You were beaten up - you nearly died, Phil. I called the ambulance, and you're now in hospital." He tried to reassure me by rubbing my right arm gently, soothingly.  
"How do you know my name? Who are you?" My voice should have raised in panic, but it didn't. I was too drowsy. A slight chuckle made me look back at him.  
"That's..." he paused, thinking. "That's quite a long story, perhaps for another day?" He raised his eyebrows, asking. I nodded - I definitely wanted to see him again. I wasn't too sure why. "But, in short, I'm Dan. I used to live near here, and I was visiting the area. Nostalgia." His smile appeared again, refreshed. "I know you're Phil, because I had to use your phone to call the ambulance - I don't have one. I didn't really know how to use it, and I saw some messages addressed to you. I didn't read them - I just saw the first couple of lines." He looked slightly repentant, glancing at me as if expecting to be told to leave.

I grinned at him, wanting to tell him that it was fine - he saved my life! - and that I didn't mind, but being too tired and overwhelmed to respond. My tongue poked out of the corner of my mouth, and I couldn't cover it. I sighed in frustration, and let the darkness reclaim me.

* * *

I stared unseeingly at Phil. A small smile still lit his face, even in sleep. I knew I should leave, but I wanted to be here, with him. I intertwined my fingers with his, a tiny smile painting itself upon my lips as I noticed his grin broaden.

A nurse bustled in, and I dropped his hand, remembering that I was supposed to tell somebody if he stirred. Guilt washed over me, and I told her that he'd been awake, but had fallen asleep once more within minutes. She smiled, reassured me that he'd be fine, and left, leaving me with nothing but my thoughts once more.

* * *

Phil awoke again a few hours later, and I handed him the packet of Maltesers I'd retrieved from the vending machine down the hall. His whole face lit up, and he took them gratefully. "Thanks," he mumbled around a mouthful of chocolate. I grinned - it was easy to be around him, even in such a gloomy place.

I hated hospitals. They only reminded me of my past, of things I wished to forget.

"Is my arm broken?" Phil asked, glaring at the cast on his left arm. I laughed at his expression - it was like that of a kitten that didn't quite understand why it wasn't allowed a treat. I sobered up once Phil turned, his beseeching eyes melting with mine. Instinctively, I reached to take hold of his hand, but let it droop back down to my side when I realised he'd never been conscious when I'd done that in the past.

"Yes," I murmured apologetically, shocked when he tried to reach for my hand. The IV restricted him, only allowing him enough room to shove Maltesers hungrily into his mouth. Clumsilly, I took hold of his fingers and rubbed circles on his palm, balancing the remainder of the packet on my knee.

"Do you want one?" Phil wondered, eyeing the chocolate.  
"No, thanks," I smiled, proferring them back towards him. He slipped his hand from my grasp to take a handful, popping one into his mouth thoughtfully.  
"You said earlier that who you are is a long story. I've got time," he said.  
"It can wait." I got up, suddenly frustrated. I didn't want to talk about it, not yet. His expression turned from inquisitive to confused to anxious.  
"I'm sorry, Dan- wait! Please don't leave," his voice trailed off as I stormed outside into the carpark, away from the thoughts that Phil brought to the surface of my conciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

I could feel the tears threatening to eclipse my vision. I felt terrible, forcing my questions upon Dan. He'd been so sweet, picking up the pieces of my crumpled form and getting help. And what had I done? I'd pushed him away.

I might never see him again.

* * *

I felt dreadful, now, having left Phil like that. I hadn't had human company like that in years, and he could so easily knock down the walls I had built up around myself. It made me feel vulnerable, and I couldn't cope. It wasn't his fault, not really - it was mine.

I slid to the floor, hands tangling in my hair. I wanted to return, but my pride stopped me. I couldn't go in and see Phil, not when my face was red and my eyes puffy, my hair knotted and windswept. But I had no home to go to, either.

I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing back the tears that had surfaced. It was silly, really, to get so upset. But I hadn't had to think about my past in a long time, and being around Phil renewed every emotion that I had trapped beneath the surface. Clambering back up, I combed my fingers nervously through my hair.

Despite being dead, I wanted to make a good impression.

* * *

I was drifiting lazily through tidal waves of drowsiness when I saw a shock of brown hair emerging from behind the door. A rueful smile drew itself on Dan's lips, and I pushed through the fog enough to smile back.

The fact that he was back - _he was back!_ - hit me, and I fought off the duvet of darkness clouding my mind. "Dan!" I grinned, unable to reach for him as I longed to do. A small, insignificant part of my brain asked me sceptically why I was so keen to see a stranger, but I told it to shut up. A wise man once told me to do whatever I had to do to be happy, so I grabbed the bull by the horns and did just that.

"Hey, Phil." His rueful expression had travelled to his eyes, and his hands shook slightly. "I'm - I'm sorry for running off, earlier. I just - it brought back some memories." I wanted to grab his hand and hold it tight, soothing away all negativity. But I couldn't, so I settled for saying: "It's fine! I shouldn't be so curious, I just find you, well, fascinating, I guess."_ Well done, Phil!_ My mind applauded me sarcastically. Way to creep out the friendly neighbourhood heroic stranger.

He smirked. "Fascinating?" He queried, one eyebrow slanting quizzically.  
"You seem interesting," I looked down, trying to dig myself out of a rapidly growing hole.  
"Oh, really?" Both eyebrows had, by now, disappeared into his messy, dark fringe.  
"Mhmm," I mumbled, trying to not appear too forward, and end up scaring him away again. His laugh shocked me, when it tumbled clumsilly from his mouth and danced in the air around me. It was almost physically _there_, prominent and lightening and joyous. He had a beautiful laugh - smooth caramel and honey, light summer rain and bubbling champagne all muddled into a mildly chaotic melody, full of lilting tones. I smiled, my eyes closing slowly as I took it in, as a deaf man may have enjoyed the last song he ever heard.  
"I find you fascinating, too," he murmured as I snuggled back down underneath the dark duvet of warmth and sleep, where my mind was cloudy, and he may never have said anything at all, yet I could still believe him to have done so.

* * *

When I awoke, Dan was no longer there, but a nurse had taken his place, and was shuffling papers absentmindedly. I moved slightly, which caught her attention, and she smiled sympathetically when my eyebrows furrowed in pain.

"How're you feeling?"  
"Not as bad as when I last woke up, whenever that was." I always hated having no idea of time when I was in hospital. It seemed like an endless purgatory, one which could never be escaped from, until I was fully aware of my situation, the time, and how long I had to remain there.  
"That's good. Your check ups have all been fine, and we estimate that you'll be able to leave within the week, possibly sooner. You've healed exceptionally quickly, Mr. Lester." At her words, my eyebrows shot up, chaning my pained expression to one of excitement, before slackening into an emotionless mask when I realised that out of here meant being threatened and beaten once again. "And, as for how long you've been asleep - it was 2 days. It seems to, however, have done you the world of good." Her face was polite and professional, and she smiled slightly down at me. "Your friend should be returning soon - I believe he went to shower and eat. He hasn't left your side once."

She exited, leaving me alone with my thoughts. The lack of pain medication meant that whilst the stitches littering my body and mangled arm felt as though they were on fire, I could finally think properly.

I liked Dan - that much was obvious. But _why? _Why did I feel such a fondness towards someone I hardly knew? It was acceptable - good, even - to feel gratitude towards him; he had, invariably, saved my life, after all. But it was more than that, and that was what confused me.  
Then there was his strange behaviour. He seemed fairly normal, but he kept the conversation steered away from him. It was as though he had demons in his past, ones that he didn't want to control his present and his future.

And, finally: why did he keep coming back? I hardly had anything to offer him, this alluring stranger with almond eyes, teeming with dark honey and sprinkled with mystery.

I knew one thing for certain, though. If he came back, I had to find out the truth, and uncover the darkness which otherwise threatened to overwhelm him.


End file.
